What Were the Top 5 AEC Industry ConTech Startups in 2017?

I always enjoy working on various kinds of “top 5” posts at the end of each blogging year and, although AEC Labs took a bit of a hiatus during the spring and summer months this time around, we thought it would be fun to highlight what we think were the five most important construction industry tech startups that we covered here in 2017. (We’re also committing to increasing our coverage of the contech space in 2018 with a more regular posting schedule and original content about the state of the industry from our perspective in the AEC trenches.)

In any event, we’ve selected the following group of startups for a variety of reasons, including the technology they’ve implemented and the role we think the problems they’re addressing will play across the AEC industry in 2018 and beyond. So, without further ado, here they are, in no particular order:

ManufactOn: Boston-based construction software startup ManufactOn announced a $2.5M Series A round of funding, led once again by Brick & Mortar Ventures. ManufactOn is a SaaS platform that helps construction firms plan, track, and manage both prefabrication and regular material handling. Next year, we expect tech to continue removing friction from project delivery mechanisms through prefabrication, off-site assembly, and more precise material handling – all of which startups like ManufactOn, Blokable, and Module are aiming for.

Built: in November, the Nashville-based construction lending startup announced a $21M infusion of venture capital from San Francisco’s Index Ventures and Nyca out of New York City. Built’s online platform aims to improve the construction loan process for both residential and commercial construction. We think 2018 will see an increased number of startups that deliberately blur the line between construction tech, fintech, insurtech, and other disciplines that underpin the AEC industry.

EquipmentShare: a Missouri-based startup taking aim at the $50 billion North American equipment rental market by building analytics tools to help contractors manage their fleets more efficiently. Calling itself the construction industry’s answer to Airbnb, the startup raised $26M in a Series B round during the first quarter of 2017. The Internet of Things and the sharing economy in general have long boasted much promise for the AEC world, and 2018 could be the year that those technologies take a much deeper root in the industry.

Happy New Year! We’re looking forward to a great year here at AEC Labs! See you in 2018.

About The Author

Stephen Del Percio is the founder of AEC Labs. He's a civil engineer by training with nearly two decades of experience in the trenches of the construction industry, both as a project manager and an attorney. Stephen also took a two-year sabbatical from the industry inside Amazon.com, an experience which sparked his interested in how tech could be applied to, and ultimately improve, the AEC industry. You can find him on social media below or send him an email to connect!